Abstract
This dissertation examines the impact of viewing images in motion compared to when static. This is achieved through an analysis of the film Olympia compared to the photographic book Schönheit im Olympischen Kampf In doing so, it aims to illustrate the complementary, yet distinct, nature of the two forms. The photographic book has received little attention compared to the well-known film. However, it is worthy of attention for a number of reasons. Previous scholarship on the film has been focused on the evidence of Nazi ideology in its content and construction. The images in the book are then analyzed in order to see how this ideology has been translated into photographic images. By rendering moments in the film as individual static images it has allowed for a different kind of contemplation. In turn, this has highlighted how the film viewer occupies a different position to that of the book reader. The images in the book are, arguably, open to a wider range of interpretation than when they are seen in the context of the film. The book is found to be a significant photographic book in its own right.